Could a member of Jack Della Maddalena’s camp be the answer to thwarting Islam Makhachev?
Maddalena proved he can elevate his game with a title-winning performance against Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 back in May. Maddalena demonstrated solid takedown defense, allowing him to outlast Muhammad on the feet for the unanimous decision win. Maddalena captured the UFC Welterweight Championship in the process and he is set to put his gold at stake against Makhachev at UFC 322 on Nov. 15.
Before he heads to Madison Square Garden in New York City, Maddalena has brought in jiu-jitsu ace Craig Jones to help him prepare for the grappling of Makhachev. Speaking to MMAJunkie, top coach and UFC analyst Din Thomas explained why Jones could be the deciding factor when it comes to Maddalena’s success on fight night.
“He’s a breath of fresh air, and I’m with Brady on this one. I’m picking him to beat Islam,” Thomas said. “I think that Craig Jones is the answer in this. I think Craig Jones’ approach to MMA, and using jiu-jitsu for MMA, is the answer. … I think the answer lies within Craig Jones’ approach of blending in a jiu-jitsu style that these guys aren’t familiar with. We’ve seen it when Alexander Volkanovski fought Islam, and we’ve seen it when Jack fought Belal.
“And now he’s got more time to work with Jack. Just on the little nuances and just different approaches, different grips, different angles, different positions. I think Jack’s going to be very difficult to take down and hold down. He might be taken down, but I think he’s going to be very difficult to hold down if he gets taken down. I think on the feet he’s so precise. I think he loses the first two rounds possibly, but I think he comes back and does damage later in the fight.”
Makhachev’s head coach, Javier Mendez, believes his fighter will be deceptively strong at 170 pounds. Still, Mendez admitted this is the first time he’s reviewing tape of Makhachev’s opponent due to the unique challenges that Maddalena presents.
It won’t be long before fight fans find out who gets their way on fight night. Stick with BJPenn.com for the latest UFC 322 updates.
